Identifying a Mystery Perennial: Trollius (Globeflower)

Adirondack Mountains (Zone 3) gardener has a cultivated perennial: 16-inch anemone-like foliage, feathery roots, 26-inch stalks with 1-inch cup-shaped yellowish-orange flowers with darker edges.

Identification Process

• Initial guesses: California poppy, Iceland poppy, calendula, Trollius.
• Follow-up: Not hairy, foliage palmate, cultivated bed.
• Confirmed: Trollius (globeflower) — likely T. laxus, stenopetalum, acaulis, or pumilus.

Trollius Traits

Moisture-loving, partial shade, cold-hardy (Zone 3), buttercup family. Feathery roots, palmate leaves, globular flowers in yellow/orange.

Mystery solved: a beautiful native globeflower for cold climates.